Apparatus for assembling containers



March 24, 1959 l R. J. BARTLETT APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 1953 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY March 24, 1959 R. J. BARTLETT APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 23. 1953 FIG. 5.

' FIG.

INVENTORQ RICHARD J. BARTLETT FTG.3;

ATTORNEYS March 24, 1959' I R. J. BARTLETT 2,878,631

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 23. 1953 5- Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. F ECHARD J. BARTLETT l MAQLR ATTORNEYS United States Patent APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONTAlNER Richard J. Bartlett, Chalfonte, Pa., assignor to Smith,

vKline & French Laboratories, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 23, 1953, Serial No. 399,887

7 Claims. (Cl. 53-443) This invention relates to apparatus for assembling containers and, more particularly, to apparatus for assembling the various parts of a container and applying the cap thereto.

It, has become common practice to package prepara tions for the relief of nasal congestion in what is com monly referred to as an inhaler. Inhalers of the tyPe referred to herein generally include a body portion, a stem inserted into the body portion with a portion of the stem which is adapted to be inserted into the nostril of the user, extending out of the body Portion, a pad of absorbent material contained within the stem and adapted to retain the medicament involved, and a cap which is adapted to be threaded to the end of the body portion and cover the body portion and the stem in order to prevent escape of the medicament when the inhaler is not in use and to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the inhaler when it is not in use.

It is the object of this invention to provide means for facilitating the assembly of containers such as described above including elements such as, for example, a stem and a body portion, and to automatically apply and secure a cap thereto.

This broad object and more specific objects of the invention will be made clear in the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section through the apparatus taken on the plane indicated by the trace 2-4 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section through the apparatus taken on the plane indicated by the trace 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the portion of the apparatus indicated at 4-4 in Figure 3; 7

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the portion of the apparatus indicated at 55 in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation of the portion of the apparatus indicated at 6 6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical section through the apparatus taken on the plane indicated by the trace 7.-7 in Figure 1; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary bottom view of the portion of the apparatus indicated by the trace 88 in Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes an annular member 2 which has its central portion covered by a closing plate 4. The annular member 2 is provided with an inwardly turned flange 5 which is adapted to rest upon a support ring 6 which is, in turn, supported by a plurality of webs 7 extending upwardly from a suitable base not shown. The annular member 2 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 8 which is provided with an annular array of bores 10 adapted to receive and support parts of an inhaler as will be described.

An inhaler mounting ring 12 is attached to and extends outwardly from the lower portion of the annular 2,878,631 ate ed M .95.9

member 2 The outermost portion of the ring 12 en tends outwardly of the outermost portion of the flange 8 and is provided with an annular array of bores 16 which are adapted, to receive partially assembled inhalers. The ring 12 is attached to the annular member 2 by means of suitable supporting pins 14 which also serve to attach a driving ring 15 to the underside. of the nnular member 2.

A vertically extending shaft 18 is supported by suitable bearings attached to the members 7 and not shown, and is. driven by suitable driving means such as an electrio motor in a conventional fashion. A sprocket wheel ,0 mounted on a. shaft 25 is driven through a chain 22. by a sprocket wheel 21 mounted on the shaft 118.

The sprocket wheels 20 and 2 1 are. at equal diameter. An eccentrically mounted pin 24 is afiixed to a cam 73 mounted in the upper end of the shaft 25 and mounts one end, of a link 26. The other end of the link 26 is pivotally connected intermediate to the ends of a bar 28 which is pivoted at one end at 29 and has pivotally mounted to its opposite end a dog 30. The dog is adapted to engage notches 32 in the ring 15 in response to the urging of a spring not shown.

It will be evident that rotation of the shaft 18 will cause oscillation of the link 26, the arm 28 and the dog 30, and thus cause a step-by-step advancement of the ring 15 and the flange Sand ring 12 attached thereto which are supported on the ring 6.

The particular inhaler involved is shown most clearly in Figure 6 and includes a body portion 34, a stem 36 having radially extending webs 38 at its lower end which are adapted to engage the inner walls of the body 34 and having a protruding portion 40 which is adapted to, be inserted into the nostril of the user. A pad 42 is positioned within the opening in the stem 36 and is selected to be a suitably absorbent material in order to retain the medicament involved which is in liquid form. The upper portion of the interior wall of thebody is provided with threads 44 which are adapted to receive mating threads on a cap 46 in order that the cap may be securely attached to the body of the inhaler.

In operation of the apparatus an operator will bepositio'ned to insert in the bores 10 in the flange 8 in the region thereof indicated by the bracket 50 in Figure 1 inhaler stems 36 with the portion 40 of the stems extending downwardly through the bores 10 and the stems resting upon the radially extending flanges 38 thereof which are Shown in Figure 6. A second operator, working in the region indicated by the bracket 52 in Figure 1, will insert the absorbent pad 42 into the inverted sternre tained in the bores 10. A tube 54 extending from pumping apparatus, notshown, which is indexed by the driving mechanism in order to pump successive charges of the medicament involved has its end positioned over the path of the inhaler stems mounted in the bores 10. The pumping apparatus is so timed to deliver a chargeofa preparation to each of the inhaler stems, the charge being absorbed by the absorbent pad 42. An operator positioned in the region indicated by the bracket56 in Figure 1 then places inverted body portions 34 over the charged stems 36. The body portions will pass over the radially extending flanges of the stems for only a relatively short distance, this distance being approximately the depth of the threads which extend into the body portion from the end thereof. After the body portions 34 have been applied to the charged stems, rotation of the flange 8 carries the parts under a hammer arrangement indicated at 58- in Figure l. The parts leaving the hammer arrangement indicated generally at .58 in Figure 1 pass under a similar hammer arrangement indicated generally at 60 in Figure 1.

In Figure 2 there is shown a vertical section through 3 the hammer arrangement 60 showing more clearly the details of the hammer arrangements 58 and 60 which are identical. A vertically extending bracket 64 is supported by a horizontally extending arm 62 which is mounted on the underside of the stationary ring 6. A roller 66 is mountedfonfa shaft65 extending radially of the annular member 2 and mounted in the bracket 64.

' The roller 66 is positioned immediately below the path 'of the annular array of bores in the flange 8.

b An air cylinder 68 is affixed to the upper endof the bracket 64 and is provided with a hammer 70 attached 'to the lower end of its piston rod and positioned above the annular array of bores 10 in the flange 8. The spacling between the hammer and the flange 8 is sufiicient to permit the passage of the inhaler parts therebetween. An air line 71 extends from the top of the cylinder 68 to an air control valve 72 which is actuated by acam 73 mounted on the shaft 25.

, It will be evident that upon each rotation of the shaft 25 the flange 8 is advanced as a result of the action of the dog 30 by a distance equal to the distance between the notches 32. The spacing between successive notches 3 2, the spacing between the successive bores 10 and the spacing between the successive bores 16 are such as to subtend equal arcs around the periphery of the rotating "apparatus and, thus, when the dog advances the rotating apparatus by the distance between a pair of notches 32, each of the annular arrays of bores will advance by the distance between adjacent bores. Each of the hammer arrangements 58 and 60, as well as the tube 54 previously described, are'so positioned thatbetween advances of the annular arrangement of boresa bore in the flange ,8 comes to rest immediately below such of .the hammer arrangements 58 and 60 and the end of the tube 54.

As the rotating flange 8 carries inverted stems 36 which have had body portions 34 positioned thereover underthe hammer arrangement shown at 58, the outermost end of the stem 40 projecting through the flange 8 engage the roller 66 and is raised thereby to a measured distance from the top surface of the flange 8. During the period of dwell of the flange 8 with the inhaler parts in this position the cam 73 on the shaft 25 actuates the air valve 72 and delivers for a short period of time air 'under pressure to the cylinder 68, driving the hammer 70 downwardly which, in turn, drives the body 34 over the stem 36 to the limit permitted by engagement of the open end of the stem with the upper surface of the flange 8.

Continued rotation of the flange 8 carries the assembled stem and body portions of the inhalers under the succeeding hammer 60 whereupon a similar operation takes :place in order to insure the complete and accurate inser- *tion of each of the stems 36 into its associated body 34.

An outwardly and downwardly extending chute 78 is positioned to have its upper end adjacent to the assembled inhaler stems and bodies mounted in the bores 10 j of the flange 8 and to have its lower end positioned over the annular array of bores 16 in thering 12. The chute is supported by means of a bracket 79 attached to the bracket 64 mounting the hammer arrangement 60. A

"kicker member 80 pivoted at 82 in a member 81 supported by the chute 78 is provided with an inwardly and downwardly extending portion 84. The kicker is held in the position shown in Figure 3 by means of a spring 87 holding the kicker parts against a stop 86. A roller 88 carried by a bar 89 attached to the hammer 70 of the hammer arrangement 60 is adapted to depress the portion 84 of the kicker with each operation of the v 4 ried out of the chute by movement of the ring 12 to the right as viewed in Figure 4.

The kicker 80 and the chute 78 are so positioned that when the flange 8 is at rest an assembled inhaler stem and body is positioned adjacent thereto as indicated at 90 in Figure 3. With an assembled inhaler stem and body in this position the hammer 80 is actuated as previously described and strikes the inhaler, shown at 90 in Figure 3, causing it to fly outwardly and successively assume the positions shown at 92 and 94, and come to rest in the position shown at 96 with the stem extending upwardly and with the body of the inhaler extending through a bore 16 in the ring 12. An arcuately formed bracket 98 is supported by the member 100,attached to the support ring 6. Successive advancements of the ring 12 advance the inhalers with their bottom portions sliding over the arcuately formed plate 98 and with each inhaler opening the trap door 81 as it is carried out of I vthe chute 78.

In Figure 1 there is shown generally at 102 a cap feed apparatus which is entirely conventional and need not be described in detail herein. It is suflicient for the purposes of this invention to state that the cap feeding device is suitable for delivering to a chute 104, which is shown more clearly in Figure 6, a succession of caps 46 with the lower portion of each of the caps riding along the base of the chute 104.

Two arms 106 are each pivoted at 108 to the lower end of the chute 104. A spring 110 mounted between the outer ends of two brackets 112, the inner ends of which. are attached to the arms 106, servesto draw the outer ends. 114' of the arms.106 together. The outer closed position by a spring 83. The trap door is adapted ends "114 of the arms 106 are provided with inwardly turned portions 115 which are adapted to limit the degree to which the outer ends of the arms may be drawn together by the spring and also are adapted to engage the successive inhaler bodies and be separated thereby ,as the bodies are carried past the ends 114 of the pivoted arms 106. A leaf spring 116 is positioned longitudinally of the chute 104 and has its upper end attached to the chute and its lower end extending beyond the end of the chute. v

The lower end of the chute 104 and the ends 114 of the arms 106 are so positioned that the lowermost cap is engaged by the portions 114 of the arms and held at an incline in such a position beyond the end of the chute as to be'engaged by the uppermost end 40 of the stem of the inhaler passing thereunder as shown in Figure 6. As the inhaler passes, the stem 40 engages the cap and draws the cap forwardly as the arms 114 are parted by engagement of the portions thereof with the body of the inhaler. Thus the cap is permitted to drop downwardly and assume a position at rest over the protruding end 40 of the inhaler stern as shown at 120 in Figure 6. The spring 116 is provided to insure the proper descent of the cap 46 overthe stem 40. It will be evident that as each cap is'carried away by an advancing inhaler a successive cap will slide down the chute along with the procession of caps therein and come to rest against the portions 114 of the arms 106 in a position adapted to be engaged by the stem 40 of the next successive inhaler.

The inhalers with caps at rest thereon then progress to the capping apparatus indicated generally at 122 inFigures 1 and 7.

A'vertically extending rotatable shaft 124 is mounted at its lower end in a bracket 126 attached to the stationary plate 6 and is mounted at its upper end in a bracket 128 affixed to the upper end of a member 130 the lower end of which is supported by the bracket 126. The shaft 124 is driven by means of a chain 132 engaging a sprocket on the lower end of the shaft 124 and driven by a sprocket on a shaft 134 which is in turn driven through gears 136 from the driven shaft 18.

A second vertically extending shaft 138 is positioned adjacent to the shaft 124 and is mounted in bracket memhers 1 28 and 129. Theshaft 138 is driven through gears 140 from the shaft 124 and is caused to oscillate upwardly and downwardly by the action of a cam follower 142 running in a cam slot 144 in a cam member 146 affixed to the shaft 124. A capping head 148 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 138. This is a conventional capping head having conventional friction clamping jaws and need not be described in detail herein. The head 148 is positioned above the path of the annular array of bores 16 in the ring 12, and is so positioned that each pause in the successive advances of the ring 12 will bring an inhaler with the cap 46 thereof into position immediately below the head. The cam slot 144 is so arranged that the capping head is moved downwardly into engagement with the inhaler cap 46 during the period of dwell of the ring 12 and removed therefrom prior to the next successive advance thereof.

A cam 150 is mounted adjacent to the lower end of the shaft 124 immediately above the sprocket thereon which is driven by the chain 132. A cam follower 152 is adapted to engage the cam 150 and is afiixed to a sliding plate 153. A rack 154 is attached to the plate 153 and is in engagement with a gear 156. A second rack 158 extending parallel with the rack 154 is also in engagement with the gear 156. Two upwardly extending arms 162 and 160 are attached to the plate 153 and the rack 158, respectively. It will be evident that, upon rotation of the cam 150, the cam follower 152 Will be moved in a direction away from the shaft 124 and simultaneously the arms 160 and 162 will be moved together. The upper ends of the arms 16% and 162 are so positioned as to engage the inhaler under the capping head 148. The position of the rise of the cam 15%) on the shaft 124 is selected so that the arms 160 and 162 engage the body of the inhaler and prevent rotation thereof during the time. interval in which the capping head 148 is in engagement with the cap 46 of the inhaler tightening the cap thereon.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the inhaler assembling apparatus facilitates the assembly of the inhaler body and stem portions and automatically caps the assembled inhaler body and stem portions. Reviewing briefly, an operator positioned in the region of the bracket 50 in Figure 1 will insert inhaler stems 36 with the ends 40 thereof turned downwardly through bores 11) in the flange 8. A second operator positioned in the region of the bracket 52 in Figure 1 will then place the absorbent pads 42 into the inverted stems 36. Successive advances of the flange 3 will carry the successive inhalers under the end of the tube 54 and pumping mechanism, not

shown, will cause a metered discharge of the medicament with which the pad is to be saturated from the tube 54. A third operator positioned in the region of the bracket 56 in Figure 1 will then place inverted bodies 34 over the stems 36 and the charged pads therein. Successive advances of the flange 8 will carry the inhalers under the hammer 58 at which time the stem 36 of each inhaler passing under the hammer 58 and the body 34 of the inhaler will be driven together for a distance such that the end 40 of the stem will extend out of the body 34 for a distance equal to the distance between the uppermost portion of the roller 66 and the upper surface of the flange 8. A successive hammer 6b repeats this operation to insure proper assembly of the stem and body of each inhaler.

Thereafter the assembled stems and bodies are transferred from the retaining bores in the flange 8 to the retaining bores in the ring 12 with the inhaler positioned in the ring 12 in a stem upward position by means of the chute 78 and the kicker 8d. The inhalers are then carried under the end of the cap feed chute 1G4 and in their passage thereunder disengage a cap from the end of the chute and carry the cap in position over the end of the stem which extends above the body of the inhaler to a position under the capping apparatus indicated generally at 122 in Figures 1 and 7. This capping apparatus serves to securely attach the cap to the inhaler by rotation of the cap causing engagement'of'the threads 44 in the inhaler body with suitable mating thread in the cap.

The assembled inhalers are discharged from the ring 12 merely by the termination of the arcuately formed plate 98. At this point the inhalers drop out of the bores in the ring 12 into a suitable container not shown.

It will be evident that, while the apparatus disclosed has been described in conjunction with the capping on an inhaler, numerous other types of packages might be capped on the same or similar apparatus. For example, containers such as the well known flexible walled container which discharges material upon compression of the walls and which is generally provided with an extended nozzle and threads below the uppermost end of the nozzle may equally well be assembled and capped on apparatus embodying the principles disclosed. Thus the invention should not be considered limited to inhalers but should be considered as relating to the capping of any container having an extended upper portion and having threads for the attachment of a cap provided a substantial distance below the upper end of the container.

What is claimed is: g

1. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a hollow body having an open end and threads adjacent to its open end, an insert adapted to be positioned in said body with a portion of the insert extending out of the body, and a threaded cap formed to fit over the open end of the body and the portion of the insert extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising an endless conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means, means for assembling bodies over inserts carried by said insert receiving means, said assembling means in combination with said conveyor means providing a predetermined length of insert extending from each of the bodies, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from said insert receiving means to said body receiving means, means for positioning caps over the open ends of the bodies and the inserts extending therefrom in said body receiving means, and means for producing relative rotation between the bodies and the caps positioned thereover to tighten the caps to the bodies.

2. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a hollow body having an open end and threads adjacent to its open end, an insert adapted to be positioned in said body with a portion of the insert extending out of the body, and a threaded cap formed to fit over the open end of the body and the portion of the insert extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means, means including a fluid operated hammer positioned .to act on said bodies for assembling bodies over inerts carried by said insert receiving means, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from said insert receiving means to said body receiving means and for inverting the bodies during transfer, means for positioning caps over the open ends of the bodies and the inserts extending therefrom in said body receiving means, and means for producing relative rotation between the bodies and, the caps positioned thereover to tighten the caps to the bodies.

3. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a hollow body having an open end and threads adjacent to its open end, an insert adapted to be positioned in said body with a portion of the insert extending out of the body, and a threaded cap formed to fit over the open end of the body and the portion of the insert extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising a rotatable conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and a succession of body receiving means in concentric arrangement, means including a fluid operated hammer positioned to act on said bodies for assembling bodies over inserts carried by said insert receiving means, said assembling means in combination with said conveyor means providing a predetermined length of inert extendthe caps positioned thereover to tighten the caps to the bodies.

4. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a hollowbody having an open end and threads adjacent to its open end, an insert adapted to be positioned in ,said body with a portion of the insert extending out of the body, and a threaded cap formed to fit over the open end of the body and the portion of the insert extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising conveyor means in ,cluding a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means for advancing a succession of inserts and a succession of bodies,

means including a fluid operated hammer positioned to act on said bodies for assembling bodies over inserts carried by said insert receiving means, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from said insert receiving means to said body receiving means and for in- .verting the bodies during transfer, means for successively positioning caps for engagement by the extending portions of said inserts of successively advanced bodies, said positioning means including means for releasing successive caps engaged by advancing bodies, said caps after their release each being positioned over the end of its associated body, and means for producing relative rota- 'tion between the bodies and the caps positioned thereover .to tighten the caps to the bodies.

conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means, means for successively advancing said conveyor means, the increments of advance of the conveyor means of the succession of insert receiving means and of the succession of body receiving means being equal, means including a hammer positioned to act on said bodies for assembling bodies over inserts carried by said insert receiving means, means actuating said hammer between successive advances of said conveyor means, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from said insert receiving means to said body receiving means and for inverting the bodies during transfer, means for succes- 8 sively positioning caps for engagement by the extending portions of said inserts of successively advanced bodies, said positioning means including means for releasing successive caps engaged by advancing bodies, said caps after their release each being positioned over the end of its associated body, and means for producing relative rotation between the bodies and the caps positioned thereover to tighten the caps to the bodies.

6. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a body having an opening and a portion adapted to receive a cap to close said opening, an insert adapted to be positioned in said body and a cap adapted to engage said body portion and close said opening, said apparatus comprising conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means, means for assembling bodies and inserts by positioning bodies over inserts carried by said insert receiving means, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from insert receiving means to body receiving means adjacent thereto, and means for positioning caps on said transferred assembled body portions to close said openings.

7. Apparatus for assembling containers each including a hollow body having an opening and a portion adapted to receive a cap to close said opening, an insert adapted to be positioned in said body with a portion of the insert extending out of said opening, and a cap formed to fit over the opening of the body and the portion of the insert extending therefrom, said apparatus comprising conveyor means including a succession of insert receiving means and an adjacent succession of body receiving means, means for assembling bodies to inserts carried by said insert receiving means and for positioning each of said inserts with a predetermined degree of extension out of its associated body, means for transferring assembled bodies and inserts from insert receiving means to body receiving means adjacent thereto, and means for positioning caps over the opening of the bodies and the inserts extending therefrom in said body receiving means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 577,674 Wilcox Feb. 23, 1897 1,944,360 Meyer Jan. 23, 1934 2,324,578 Hamilton July 20, 1943 2,435,127 Cameron Jan. 27, 1948 2,509,069 Mrachek May 23, 1950 2,658,654 Schmeitzer Nov. 10, 1953 2,698,707 Hompe et al Jan. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 509,005 Germany Oct. 23, 1930 

